BOUNTIFUL — The City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve a land purchase from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints near 600 East and 600 North.

The vote ends the possibility of eminent domain, which the city threatened in mid-April. The decision excluded Councilman Fred Moss, who was absent.

The and comprises .45 acres of what has been far right field of a softball diamond owned by the church. The city will pay $130,000, which will be refunded by a private developer.

That developer plans to build the Villas at Stone Creek subdivision in the area. The land will be used for a road that will connect it to 600 East.

The church has yet to sign off on the decision, but is expected to do so at a July 16 meeting. Until then, no construction can move forward with the subdivision because final city approval has been held up because of the road. Without it, the neighborhood would have no secondary access, a safety hazard.

The decision was surprisingly quiet in comparison with the meeting in April where eminent domain was threatened. Then, there were 90 minutes of testimony and the council chambers were completely full.

For Tuesday’s vote, only one person attended, and she was primarily concerned about the construction schedule of the subdivision.

Staffers estimated that homes won’t start being built until at least the end of September, but the developer was not at the meeting.